Cody Zeller is out for at least the next few games as he recovers from a broken hand. That makes four significant injuries in the last three seasons for the Hornets big man. Those injuries were a death knell in previous seasons. This iteration of the Hornets needs to make sure that doesn’t happen again.

Cody Zeller missed 20 games in the 2016-17 season, the last time he was a full time starter. The Hornets went 3-17 in those games. They went 33-29 in the games that Zeller played. Last season, the Hornets had Dwight Howard on the roster eating up center minutes and mitigating the loss of Zeller for 49 games. Even still, the Hornets performed better with the former fourth overall pick on the floor.

Now, for the third consecutive season, the Hornets are left scrambling to fill the void left by their oft injured center. There is no Dwight Howard on to play 30 minutes a night. There probably won’t be any moves to acquire a new center from elsewhere. It’ll be up to the players on the roster to step up in the wake of the Hornets’ first significant injury of the season.

Fortunately, the Hornets appear better equipped to handle an injury to the five spot than in years past. The presence of Willy Hernangomez, Frank Kaminsky, and Bismack Biyombo on the roster squashes any chance at a desperation trade like the one that brought Miles Plumlee to Charlotte in 2017. Kaminsky and Hernangomez have been battling for the second string center minutes all season. Now both will have the chance to prove their worth. Marvin Williams has also filled in admirably at the five when head coach James Borrego elects to go small, but that probably won’t be an option for long stretches.

In all, the Hornets have managed to outscore their opponents by 1.1 points per 100 possessions with Zeller off the floor. It’s a drop off from the team’s +3.5 net rating with their lead center out there, but it’s the first time the Hornets have outscored their opponents without Zeller on the court since the 2015-16 season.

Hernangomez is the leading candidate to start at the five while Zeller is out. The third year pro has a more deft touch around the basket and a more reliable jumper than does Zeller. He’s a nuisance on the offensive glass and has boosted the team’s defensive rebounding numbers when he plays. There is a trade-off though. Willy doesn’t move the ball nor set screens as well as Cody. He’s slow footed on defense and his effort level isn’t always what it needs to be.

Kaminsky is also a candidate to receive more minutes, but he has many of the same shortcomings as Hernangomez, though he isn’t as good of a rebounder.

This injury couldn’t have come at a worse time for the Hornets. After a home game against the Dallas Mavericks, they hit the road for a six game west coast swing that sees them face five teams with winning record. The Hornets need to win without Cody Zeller. If they don’t, their season could go in the tank very quickly.